Listen to County Line below, a moody electric piano piece that recalls the late John Lennon and The Band, off the upcoming album – Wits End – from Cass McCombs, to be released by Domino Records on 11th April 2011. It is rather sumptuous, with McCombs also channeling Richard Manuel’s fragile pipes on this country-folk-ish tune. Worth checking out.
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THE DECEMBERISTS The King Is Dead (Capitol)
I am sorely tempted to declare The King Is Dead – Portland’s The Decemberists’ sixth album – as the album of 2011. After the steady move into progressive rock territory in the last two albums, critics have described The King Is Dead’s change in direction as “accessible”. Well, not unless it was released in the 80s, I daresay! Is an album that sees Colin Meloy and company basically go country on us a commercial commodity in 2011? In the age of auto-tuned prefabricated pop and groin-directed hip hop?
Lead single, Down By the Water, makes the band’s intentions clear with a harmonica intro, not to mention guest performances from Peter Buck (REM) and Gillian Welch. Commentators have already noticed the songs’s resemblance to REM’s The One I Love (especially the chord progression). Buck also plays on The Calamity Song and is immediately recognizable in the guitar appregios – the track sounds like an outtake of an 80s REM album but it’s a welcome relief to hear such classic songwriting in the new year!
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